A York man has been jailed for a “barbaric” spree of violence in which he bit, gouged and head-butted police officers and punched a pregnant pub manager in the stomach.
Dylan Turpin, 23, a former military chef, kicked off in the living quarters of the Brigadier Gerard pub in Monkgate, attacking his friend and two women in a drink-fuelled explosion of violence, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Lauren Smith said that police were called out to the pub just before midnight on 4 November.
On arrival, they were told that Turpin was upstairs and had assaulted three family members, two of whom, a named couple, were staying at the pub as a guest of the female manager.
They had returned to their rooms when Turpin appeared “looking like he was on something”.
He was asked to leave but instead began to swing punches at the male victim, his partner and their daughter.
The male victim was knocked to the floor and got back up, but Turpin “lunged towards his face and knocked him to the floor again”. He then bit the man near his eye, breaking the skin.
As the victim tried to push him off, Turpin bit him on the hand. During the attack, the victim was pushed into a fire door cracking the hinge.
The two women managed to get Turpin off the victim, who needed hospital treatment including a tetanus injection and the patching up of wounds.
Both women were punched by Turpin – one in the face and the other in the stomach. One of the women went to hospital as a precaution because she was seven weeks’ pregnant. She said she was left feeling “broken”.
Her partner, Turpin’s friend, also intervened during the mayhem but was bitten on the chest, his arm and neck by his mate.
Knocked unconscious
Three officers arrived and tried to handcuff Turpin who lashed out, tried to resist arrest and aimed a volley of abuse at them. The officer who tried to apply the cuffs was bitten on the hand.
As they took him to ground and put a spit hood on him, Turpin tried to bite another two officers.
He continued to lash out and the officers had to radio for assistance.
Five other officers arrived and tried to get him downstairs and into the police van, but he tried to head-butt one of them on the stairs and bit him on the thigh. He then twisted a female officer’s arm and bit another officer’s hand.
The officers finally managed to get him downstairs but as they forced him into the police van, Turpin head-butted one of the officers on the bridge of her nose.
On arrival at Fulford Road Police Station, he tried to head-butt an officer as they got him out of the van. They managed to get him to the custody desk where he head-butted the same officer, causing him to reel backwards.
As he did so, he lost his grip on Turpin who fell to the floor, hitting his head and knocking him unconscious temporarily.
He was out for about ten minutes and an ambulance was called, but by the time it arrived he had regained consciousness and turned on the officers again.
Deplorable behaviour
He spat at one of them and head-butted him in the back. That officer described Turpin’s behaviour as “deplorable” and “the worst I have seen anyone behave towards officers in my four years of service”.
Turpin then spat at a special constable who described his behaviour as “disgusting”.
But worse was to follow as Turpin took hold of an officer by the head and “applied pressure, his fingers forced into the officer’s left eye”.
As the officer pulled his head back, Turpin grabbed his radio earpiece and snapped it in half.
Turpin, of North Moor Road, Easingwold, was charged with three counts of battery, two counts of damaging property, nine counts of assaulting police officers and one count of assaulting a named man causing actual bodily harm.
He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence yesterday (Monday).
Defence barrister Rhianydd Clement said Turpin had “difficulty managing his emotions” following the tragic death of his 11-year-old brother from a brain tumour three years ago. He had since been on anti-depressants and had sought help for anxiety and depression.
She said that at the time of the incident he was “self-medicating with alcohol” and his behaviour was wholly out of character.
Turpin had served as a military cook in Canada and Dubai but left the army due to mental health issues.
Judge Sean Morris told Turpin he had “behaved like a barbarian”.
He added: “You have been in the armed forces, you have worn the uniform, but anyone spitting at police officers or biting them or headbutting them must expect an immediate custodial sentence because the courts must protect the police and deter people from acting in this way.”
Turpin was jailed for 12 months.